


Taming The Wild

by hollisvee



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones Break Up, F/M, Getting Back Together, Jughead Jones Loves Betty Cooper, Light Angst, Protective Jughead Jones, Southside Serpent Betty Cooper, Southside Serpent Leader Jughead Jones, jellybean jones is older
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:42:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28379436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hollisvee/pseuds/hollisvee
Summary: In the aftermath of the Ghoulies and Serpents fighting over land, everyone is scattered and desperate to find each other.Betty and Jughead have some unresolved conflict.
Relationships: Betty Cooper & Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones
Kudos: 17





	Taming The Wild

**Author's Note:**

> i had no idea where i was going with this. a one-shot i came up with randomly at one in the morning, enjoy!

Jughead takes ragged breathes as he looks up at the outcome. They had won, it was over. 

_For now._

His mind drags, it'll never be over. His split moment of relief is instantly ruined when he remembers Betty is out here, scattered somewhere, alone. So is his sister, so is his father, so is everyone he loves. Possibly even dead. Mud stains the bottoms of his boots, as he looks over the almost pitch black trailer park, as people chatter and search for one another.

It had been a big fight, men and women slammed into trailers, blood, but it had been over quickly when the Ghoulies realized they had no chance, and retreated home. He had told Betty not to fight, not to risk getting hurt, that it wasn't worth it, even if they weren't on good terms at the moment.

He realized she didn't listen when he saw the whip of her blonde ponytail mid-battle before she disappeared into a sea of people and rain. He had gone after her, but she had gone into thin air when he searched for her during the chaos. Jughead winces in pain when his tongue swipes over his lip, to feel blood and a cut, knowing he had way worse injuries otherwise.

"Dad!" He yells loudly, causing some heads to turn, stomping through the mud as he searches for any reply. 

"Here!" A familiar voice yells for him, his sister, Jellybean. Following the direction, he sees her dark hair at his father's side. They had probably fought together. Jellybean has minor injuries, nothing more serious than a scratch on her cheek. FP sports a darkening eye, bruising by the second.

"Have you seen Betty?" He asks, hiding the choke in his voice as he stares at his father desperately. "No, actually. I haven't seen her since she and Toni went after some Ghoulie at the start of the fight." FP replies, now realizing that not being able to find the blonde among such a dark group was never a good sign.

Jughead kicks his foot against the softened ground. "Take JB home, I'm gonna go look for her. I need to talk to her." He panted out, turning around as the Serpents helped each other out and began back to their own trailers, apartments, or the Whyte Wyrm. 

Swallowing hard, and praying his fear goes down with the gulp, he yells. "Betty!"

No response, only Toni looking at him from under Cheryl's shoulder with concerned, wide eyes as she stands up and makes big strides towards the Serpent leader. "Jughead!" She calls, causing him to turn.

"Have you not found her?" Toni asks, her head slightly tilted as she breathes hard, eyes darting nervously. 

"Do you see her anywhere?" Jughead remarks sarcastically, causing Cheryl to snap her head as Toni seems to dart her head too. "I'll look for her," Toni promises, ignoring his tone.

He got like this when he was mad, sarcastic, and stressed.

Toni knew Jughead would never admit it, but he was worried sick for the girl he loved to the ends of the earth.

They part ways, searching for her across Sunnyside, hearts pounding in their chests. "Betty!" Toni screams out. 

Beginning to lose hope, she freezes when she hears a pleading voice. "Toni! Here!" Following the source, she swerves around the corner of an old, uninhabited trailer to see Betty leaned against it, one knee pulled to her chest, the other straightened out in front of her. Betty has damp cheeks and is visibly terrified.

"Jughead!" Toni yells again, hearing rapid footsteps approaching as she squats to Betty's level who is hyperventilating in pain, head tilted back.

"I was too scared to move, one of them got me in the thigh." Betty gasps out, and Toni looks down to see a deep gash bleeding crimson out onto Betty's pant leg. Toni rips her flannel and holds it down on the wound causing Betty to cry out immediately. "Jughead!" Toni screams for the second time.

He finds them then, and it all hits him so hard. Seeing her, eyes squeezed shut, leaned back in agony as she gasps. "Toni, I got it. Go find Sweetpea and the others, make sure they're safe too." Jughead commands, and the girl stares at Betty again, causing Jughead to snap his head back attentively to Toni.

"Go!" He barks, causing Betty to wince at the noise. "Okay, we're going home." Jughead sighs, pushing his arm beneath her knees, picking her up as she clings to him.

He carries her to the truck and drives her to his apartment above the Whyte Wyrm. He never let's go despite her angry protests which soon disappear when they arrive.

Gently laying her down on his couch, he runs to grab medical supplies.

Betty was so tired and the pain was making her face pale as she finally starts to calm. She missed sleeping next to Jughead all week, in fact, she hadn't slept. Not since their argument. She missed him so badly, but she wasn't near ready to admit it.

"Here, just relax." Jughead coaxes as he cuts the square off of her pants for access to the wound. 

"This is gonna hurt." He warns once the blood has been washed off, trying to keep the situation from being so awkwardly quiet between them.

Using the peroxide, he puts it on the wound, Betty bites deep in her lip to keep from crying out, feeling his hand on her inner thigh in an attempt to steady it as she tenses her whole body, shoulders stiff.

As the sting dies down, he wraps it back up, ensuring there's no infection. 

Betty makes her way to the bathroom on one leg, wincing at every movement and bump to her injury. Seeing herself in the mirror, her eyes well up with tears again.

Her forehead is forming a nasty bruise, hair tangled into a knotted ponytail, dirt cakes the side of her cheek and her nose. She looks disgusting and smells the part too. Unable to look anymore, she strips her clothes and showers.

The hot water feels to be burning away any touch the Ghoulies left on her skin, rinsing out any contact in her hair. Jughead would question her, he'd want to know exactly who did it.

Betty knew who did it.

But telling Jughead didn't feel like an option, because he'd just start another battle that she couldn't mentally or physically handle.

After her, Jughead disappears into the bathroom as she makes her way to their bedroom, changing into his t-shirt, panties she had leftover, and some of her pajama pants.

She can't sleep as she listens to the run of the shower until there a creak as the knob turns, and the water cuts off. Her body tenses again as he returns in his sweats, his shirt discarded. 

Wordlessly, he slips into bed beside her, but everything feels wrong. She's still stiff against him, and her eyes are glassy with unshed tears. 

"I should have been there." He apologetically sighs, a result of his guilt. "I'd never let anyone do that to you if I could've helped it. I promised you I wouldn't ever let you get hurt."

"It's not your fault." Betty chokes out, sniffling hard. "Just go to sleep." She adds.

"No, I'm not doing this with you right now." Jughead sits up, watching her slowly roll over to face him. "Don't do this." He pleads, leaning down to her with upturned eyebrows in concern.

"Do what?" She whimpers, and he presses his hand gently to her damp cheek, thumb swiping at any tear that fell. 

"Shut me out." He whispers, but it impacts her hard as she shakes her head. 

Jughead feels her press her cheek against his hand. "I love you still, I'd never stop. I don't know what I'd do without you." Jughead admits, keeping his eyes on her. God, he means it. "I still want a life with you, and I'm sorry for underestimating your capabilities."

"And believe me, whoever did this to you, they're gonna pay." 

Betty smiles weakly, leaning up to press her lips tenderly to his. "I love you too. I'm sorry for running off and being reckless again. I did it because I knew it'd get under your skin." She admits, her smile disappearing.

"It's okay." He promises, laying back down and pulling her body close to his, carefully, as to not hurt her. Her head nuzzles back to his chest, finally feeling like she could finally rest.

It was all far from being over, but now, she had a small sliver of normalcy.


End file.
